Teaching docs a bedside manner!

[marjoriemac, LPN]

We all know you get good doctors and bad doctors (most of those that visit our nursing home are well... bad!). I am therefore very greatful to the fleet of future medical students we get working as carers before they begin med school and to the increasing number of overseas doctors we get working as carers before their qualifications can be authenticated in the UK. I believe that many of these people (if the ideals of care are not polluted by the reality of time and resource constraints) will become a new generation of doctors with a bedside manner who respect the work of us nurses!

Ona slightly different note, I am sick of hearing about nurses who phone the out of hours doctor, only to be told he/she will not visit at which point a diagnosis is made over the phone and the nurse is instructed to pick up a prescription from a nearby 24hr clinic. If only the docs would realise that during the night, there is limited staff, we cannot just send someone out for a prescription and if we get a taxi to do it, we run the risk of being unpopular with management for spending the homes valuable funds!

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Heh. Under the law in New York State the in-house pharmacy must be available 24/7, and the licensed personnel are not permitted to leave the facility.

[jetscreamer101]

Our pharmacy is avail. 24/7. It's their responsibility to get the med to us as quickly as possible. We do have conveinience, emergency, and IV boxes that contain frequently ordered meds, stuff for IV starts, flushes, hydration bags, and stuff like that. We nurses call the prescription into our pharmacy, the doc just has to give us the order.

[shoreh2000]

what???....go out of the facility to get the resident's perscription filled????

in california this is not our practice. here we have 24/7 pharmacy available which delivers the medications as soon as possible. the facilities do have emergency kits which allows the facility to have access to oral and iv antibiotics, narcotic pain medications, insulin, etc. which is documented, sealed and then replinished by the pharmacy whenever opened.

maybe you can bring this idea to your administrator and don's attention. it really does work.